John Chandler from pedalboard manufacturer
Pedaltrain suggests, “Before even considering a pedalboard
size or layout, line all the pedals out in a
straight-line signal path and use whatever power
source you plan to use on the board. Experiment by
trying the various pedals out and seeing how they
interact with each other. The goal is to try to get the
cleanest signal path with every pedal off, and then on,
in the order that sounds good to you.” Chandler says
to be sure to write down the ideal signal path so it’s
not lost once you inadvertently move something in
the arrangement.

“Next, lay the pedals out in an imaginary pedalboard
on the floor or on a tabletop,” Chandler continues. “Keep
in mind the pedals you will be switching on and off more
than others—you’ll want to keep tap-tempo pedals close
to your feet and spacey weird things you may not use as
much further from your toes.”

The Pedalboard Landscape
Once you’ve laid the stompboxes out in an optimal
arrangement, you can search for a board that will
accommodate that configuration. A good resource
for getting a visual sense of how things will fit on
a board is pedalboardplanner.com. This useful site
features virtual pedals that you can layout on virtual
boards—and all for free. Chandler has a useful analog
method, too. “Cut a piece of cardboard that will
fit everything, and then research which boards have
dimensions that may work for your pedal setup.”

If you’re not a total pedal junkie but still crave a
pedalboard’s conveniences, the Boss BCB-30 (Street $39,
bossus.com) offers three pre-sized slots for Boss compact
pedals (or those with an equally diminutive footprint) and
comes in a self-contained, molded-resin case. However,
the most common pedalboards consist of a flat surface
covered with the “loop” material used in Velcro-style
hook-and-loop fastening systems. The most basic examples
of this type of pedalboard include the Road Runner
Pedalboard All-in-1 Gig Bag (Street $39.99, roadrunnercases.com) and Gator GPT Pedal Tote Pedalboard with
Carry Bag (Street $59.99, gatorcases.com).

As you move up in price, you get features
such as a power supply and effects-loop patch
bays. The SKB PS-45 (Street $249, skbcases.com) features eight 9-volt DC jacks, three 120-
volt AC plugs for “wall-wart” adapters, and a
hardshell case, while the Furman SPB-8C (Street
$349, furmansound.com) includes eight 9-volt
DC jacks, four 120-volt AC plugs, a stereo
effects loop with amp outputs, and a wheeled
hardshell case with an extendable handle.

The tricky thing with these types of pedalboards
is that, because everything must fit onto one flat
surface, it can be hard to keep things tidy and
ergonomically practical. This is because the more
pedals you use, the more real estate you can lose
to unwieldy wires or alternate power supplies. In
addition, footswitches on the devices in that row
of pedals furthest from your feet can be difficult to
activate without hitting the knobs of pedals in the
first row. Recently StageTrix addressed this issue
with its Pedal Riser (Street $11.99, stagetrixproducts.com), which creates an elevated surface for
pedals to create room underneath for wires.

Pedalboard manufacturers aren’t unaware of
these issues, and many take cable-routing considerations
into their designs. Pedaltrain offer
pedalboards in various sizes—including the PT-JR
(Street $99, prostagegear.com)—and all feature
an open-framed, angled construction that facilitates
both easier activation of second-row pedals
and unobtrusive routing of cables and power
supplies. MKS Professional Stage Products takes
a slightly different tack with its Pedal Pad MPS
II Tour Series boards (Street $299.95–$349.95,
pedalpad.com), which have a modular, stair-steplike
design that uses interchangeable metal panels
to let you arrange and fasten pedals in just about
any configuration—including flat or angled.

Many pedalboards, including most of those
discussed here, come with an option for a gigbag or
hardshell case. A hardshell case virtually guarantees
pedal safety, and it’s the only real option if you’re
flying to a gig and need to check your pedalboard
as baggage. However, keep in mind that a large
board loaded with pedals can rival an amp’s weight
once you factor in the case itself. If you rely on
public transportation to transport your whole rig,
then a gigbag is the more practical option.

New York City native Joe Charupakorn is a guitarist, author, and editor. He has interviewed the world’s biggest guitar icons including Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Yngwie Malmsteen, Carlos Santana, Neal Schon, and Dave Davies, among many others, for Premier Guitar. Additionally, he has written over 20 instructional books for Hal Leonard Corporation. His books are available worldwide and have been translated into many languages. Visit him on the web at joecharupakorn.com.

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